Scott Boulevard Area Drivers Looking for Alternate Route

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COLUMBIA - Phase two of the Scott Boulevard construction begins Monday and isn't scheduled to be completed until Aug. 8. It means those who live and work in the area will need to find alternate routes.

City officials said starting March 3, construction will close Scott Boulevard from Vawter School Road to Bellview Drive. The $5,919,000 project will replace the current bridge near the fire station and add a roundabout at the intersection of Vawter School Road and Scott Boulevard.

Boone County Fire Protection District Station 14 sits at that intersection and will not be able to respond to calls north of the bridge during construction. To fill the gap, Battalion Chief Gale Blomenkamp said the district will team with the Columbia Fire Department to ensure the area is covered.

"The fire district will cover areas south of our fire station, south of Scott and Vawter School Road regardless of what jurisdiction it is and the Columbia Fire Department will cover everything north of this location regardless of what jurisdiction it is," Blomenkamp said.

On Friday, construction crews had already started tearing up part of the driveway at the fire station, but Blomenkamp said it won't affect response times.

"The citizens should not see, will not see a delay in response, they should not see a decrease in service because of this project," he said. "That is something that both fire organizations have worked very hard to prevent."

Even without a delay in response times, Blomenkamp said citizens will need to make adjustments.